1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical fiber end face polishing machine which polishes a connection end face of an optical connector used for, for example, an optical communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical connectors have been used to connect optical fibers used for an optical communication. The optical fibers used for the optical communication are allowed to pass through the central holes of ferrules, and fixed to each other with adhesives. Then, end faces of them are polished for the respective ferrules to be mirror-finished. Polishing procedures for polishing the connection end face of such optical connector proceed over several polishing steps by use of polishing films ranging from coarse abrasive coating to fine abrasive coating, and the connection end face is mirror-finished finally. In the polishing steps, various processing conditions including sorts of used polishing films, selections of polishing liquid, polishing times and the like must be set.
For the polishing of the connection end face of the optical connector, there are four kinds including polishing for finishing an end face perpendicular to the axial line of the optical fiber to a flat plane, polishing for finishing an end face perpendicular to the axial line thereof to a curved plane, polishing for finishing an end face slanted to a plane, which is perpendicular to the axial line thereof, to a flat plane, and polishing for finishing the end face slanted to the plane, which is perpendicular the axial line thereof, to a curved plane. The processing conditions in the polishing steps differ depending on the kinds of the polishing. Moreover, the processing conditions therein differ also depending on the shape and material of the ferrule.
The optical fiber end face polishing machine capable of polishing a large number of optical connectors at one time has been already developed, and used widely while meeting with acceptance.
However, though the related optical fiber end face polishing machine described above has a great advantage that this polishing machine is capable of polishing many optical connectors at one time, an operator is obliged to set the processing conditions for each of the polishing steps. Therefore, the operator is required to have many kinds of knowledge and skills, and he/she must set the processing conditions every time when the polishing procedure advances to a subsequent step. For this reason, the skillful operator cannot leave from the polishing operation by use of the optical fiber end face polishing machine, and is bound by the polishing operation. Moreover, there has been a problem that other operators cannot conduct the polishing operation by use of the optical fiber end face polishing machine when the skillful operator is incapable of engaging in the polishing operation.
An object of the present invention is to remove the foregoing problems, and to provide an optical fiber end face polishing machine which is capable of polishing a large number of optical connectors at one time, and which is capable of conducting desired polishing procedures according to instructions from programs by setting processing conditions of various polishing steps in the programs and by calling out an arbitrary program, whereby anyone can conduct the polishing operation simply and properly.
The optical fiber end face polishing machine solves the foregoing subjects, a first aspect of the optical fiber end face polishing machine of the present invention is provided with a turntable which moves its center along a circular orbit of a smaller diameter than that of an autorotation disk having a central axial line as its center, thus revolving both around the central axial line of the atutorotation disk and on its axis in accordance with an autorotation of the autorotation disk; a holding member for holding an optical fiber to be polished by a polishing film disposed on an upper plane of the turntable; a control device for controlling autorotation and revolution motors of the turntable; and a memory for storing a control program which allows the control device to execute previously determined polishing procedures.
A second aspect of the optical fiber end face polishing machine of the present invention is provided with a turntable which moves its center along a circular orbit of a smaller diameter than that of an autorotation disk having a central axial line as its center, thus revolving both around the central axial line of the atutorotation disk and on its own axis in accordance with an autorotation of the autorotation disk; a holding member for holding an optical fiber to be polished by a polishing film disposed on an upper plane of the turntable; a control device for controlling autorotation and revolution motors of the turntable; a touch panel for operating the control device; and a memory for storing a plurality of control programs which allow the control device to execute previously determined polishing steps, wherein when an operator manipulates the touch panel to select a desired control program among the plurality of control programs stored in the memory, the control device calls out the selected control program and allows the autorotation motor and the revolution motor to operate in accordance with the selected control program.
In addition to the second aspect, a third aspect of the present invention is an optical fiber end face polishing machine in which when the operates manipulates the touch panel to input data necessary for the control program, the control device stores the control program determined by the input data in the memory.
In addition to the second aspect a fourth aspect of the present invention is an optical fiber end face polishing machine, in which during executions of the polishing steps, the control device allows the touch panel to display states of portions of the machine including operation states of the autorotation and revolution motors.